1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a tamper protection device and data transaction apparatus, and more particularly, to a tamper protection device and data transaction apparatus with a detachable tamper protection device.
2. Description of Related Arts
Data transaction apparatuses such as Point of Sale (POS) terminals of the type typically used by merchants can permit holders of charge cards, credit cards, debit cards, and the like to make electronic payments for services and merchandise quickly and easily. With the advent of stored value cards and other smart card schemes, the use of POS terminals in some form is likely to increase dramatically over the next few decades. Indeed, as the feature set of POS terminals and associated peripheral devices such as PIN entry devices/terminals increase, the use of POS terminals may largely supplant or even replace the use of cash and checks in many contexts.
All transactions that require the entry of a PIN necessitate that the PIN itself and any data associated with the PIN must be secure and remain secure. As such, PIN entry devices utilize encryption in the form of keys to establish the necessary security function. Additionally, PIN entry devices are designed to be tamper resistant security modules.
In order to provide a tamper resistant security module, PIN entry devices are sealed. If and when a PIN entry device is opened, all of the secure data is erased. Accordingly, a security system for electronic circuits contained within a secure POS terminal has been disclosed in the art. The conventional POS terminal comprises a display, a system board, and a security fence module which seals the system board by glue, wherein a tamper detection circuit (not shown) is provided on the system board.
If the security fence module is penetrated, a security response is triggered, deleting any confidential information contained within the security POS terminal. When the system board is disconnected from the security fence module and the security fence module is interrupted, the tamper detection circuit is promptly triggered.
However, the POS terminal is not allowed to undergo repair or modification because the security fence module seals the system board with glue. If one part of the POS terminal fails, there is no alternative but to discard the failed POS terminal as a whole.